Sambazon Açaí - Natural Products Expo East

Sambazon Açaí
Organic Amazon Superfood
The Sambazon Story
The journey began when Sambazon founders experienced açaí with local surfers during a trip to celebrate the
new millennium in Brasil. Amazed by the natural energy and nutritional benefits of this powerful fruit, they were
quickly hooked. Realizing that açaí could promote the preservation of the Amazon Rainforest and contribute to a
positive economic chain reaction to benefit the indigenous people, they started working on a plan to share açaí
with the world and in early 2000, Sambazon was formed.
Initially, the founders scraped together enough money to buy a container of frozen pulp and some marketing
fliers and began trying to convince juice bars in Southern California that açaí was the real deal. By the end of that
first summer, over 50 juice bars were selling Sambazon Açaí Smoothies. Sambazon did endless samplings, demos
and promo events, and gradually word caught on and Sambazon started expanding all over the country.
Today, Sambazon products are sold in virtually every health food store, juice bar and conventional grocery store in
the U.S. and we continue to work hard to spread the word about authentic açaí.
What is Açaí?
Açaí is a palm fruit that grows naturally in the Amazon Rainforest. It has a rich, berry-cocoa flavor that makes it taste
amazing, and it’s packed with powerful antioxidants, healthy omegas, protein and dietary fiber, which make the
fruit extremely healthy for you.
Sustainability
Sambazon is the first of-its-kind Fair Trade and Certified Organic Supply Chain of açaí. Guided by the business
principles of the 'triple bottom line' (social, environmental and economic success), Sambazon pioneered a market
driven conservation business model around marketing açaí to the worldwide marketplace. This model has created
positive change in the Amazon Rainforest and beyond by protecting biodiversity, sustainably managing millions
of acres of forest, creating new employment opportunities and increasing the socio-economic status of thousands
of small family farmers.
In 2003, Sambazon founded the Sustainable Amazon Partnership (SAP) to promote lasting sustainable
management of the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest. To date, the SAP has created a positive economic exchange for
over 10,000 local family growers, fostered environmental stewardship on over 1.7 million acres of agro-forestry
farms, established and monitored biosocial indicators to benchmark the impact of açaí trade - these indicators
continue to show that wild harvesting of açaí has a positive contribution to social, environmental and economic
conditions in the Amazon Rainforest.
Sambazon's efforts in sustainability have been recognized all over the world. Sambazon earned the prestigious
Secretary of State’s Award for Corporate Excellence in 2006 for creating worldwide awareness and pioneering a
sustainable industry around açaí. In addition, Sambazon earned Ashoka’s Changemakers Innovation Award for
its Market-Based Strategies that Benefits Low-Income Communities in the Amazon Rainforest.
Media Contacts:
Erik Dawson, Cone, Inc.
617-939-8419; edawson@coneinc.com
Maureen O’Connell, Cone, Inc.
617-939-8330; moconnell@coneinc.com
Açaí Market Leader Sambazon Launches Real Deal™ Açaí Campaign to Educate
Consumers about the Amazon Superfruit
(SAN CLEMENTE, Calif., August 24, 2010) —Today, Sambazon launches the Real Deal™ Açaí campaign, giving
consumers tools with which to compare açaí products and recognize misleading marketing tactics. As açaí
grows in popularity and emerging science supports the health benefits of the fruit, lack of regulations in labeling
has created opportunties for confusing marketing around the Amazon Superfood.
Açaí is a relatively new fruit to the US Market and there is little regulation for the definition of “Açaí” or “Açaí
Juice” like there are with other fruits and juices in the market.
The emerging science and press around açaí is based on “Whole Food Açaí” which is the unfiltered/undiluted
whole berry and contains powerful antioxidants, healthy omega fats, fiber and protein.
Many “Açaí” products now solid in the US market are labeled “Açaí Juice” on the ingredient panel, but are often
filtered and/or diluted with water that doesn’t appear on the ingredient panel. This lack of distinction leads
consumers to perceive they are purchasing Real Deal açaí when they are often buying a filtered and/or diluted
form of the fruit.
Real Deal Açaí Campaign
”Our goal with the Real Deal Açaí campaign is to educate consumers and help to set an industry standard for
açaí and transparent labeling,” says Jeremy Black, co-founder of Sambazon. “Consumers want an authentic,
nutritious açaí experience, and we’re helping them find it.”
Sambazon’s Real Deal campaign features an informational website, hangtags on Sambazon Açaí Juice, and
nutrition spokesperson, Ashley Koff, R.D.
“Emerging science shows that whole food açaí is rich in antioxidants and healthy omega fats and has promising
health benefits including heart healthy properties,” says Koff. “When consumers see a product that says açaí,
they expect those benefits, but unfortunately that’s not always the case.”
Sambazon adheres to the Brasilian Minister of Agriculture’s definition of “Açaí Juice” where the combination of
açaí solids and nutrition delivers at least 3g of fats per 8oz serving of açaí juice. Because açaí is naturally rich in
healthy omega fats, looking at the fat content on the nutrition label is the easiest way for consumers to calculate
how much açaí is in the “Açaí Juice” they drink.
For more information about Real Deal Açaí, please visit www.Sambazon.com/realdeal.
About Sambazon:
Sambazon is the global leader in açaí. Founded in 2000 as the first company to bring the antioxidant-rich açaí berry from the Amazon to
North America, Sambazon’s mission is to deliver high quality, organic açaí products to the planet. Sambazon’s product line of Organic Açaí
Juices, Frozen Açaí Smoothie Packs and Sorbets, and Açaí Supplements are enjoyed by world-class athletes and health-conscious consumers
everywhere. Products are available at major retail stores and juice bars across North America including Whole Foods, Publix, Kroger, HEB,
Albertsons and Vitamin Shoppe. Sambazon is also a leader among organic foods and sustainable agriculture. In November 2006, Sambazon
was named a winner of the Secretary of State’s Award for Corporate Excellence for helping to create worldwide awareness and demand for
the açaí fruit. Sambazon pioneered the first of its kind Fair Trade and Certified Organic supply chain of açaí, which benefits thousands of local
families and protects the biodiversity of the Amazon Rainforest through sustainable agriculture. Sambazon is the largest vertically integrated
supplier and marketer of açaí products, controlling every step of the manufacturing process to ensure sustainable and organic origin of the
fruit as well as the highest level quality, nutrition, taste. To learn more about Sambazon Açaí and creating positive change in the Amazon and
beyond, please visit us at www.sambazon.com.
###
Media Contacts:
Erik Dawson, Cone, Inc.
617-939-8419; edawson@coneinc.com
Maureen O’Connell, Cone, Inc.
617-939-8330; moconnell@coneinc.com
SAMBAZON AÇAÍ PART OF A LOW GLYCEMIC DIET
New Research Reveals Sambazon Original™ Açaí Berry Juice Has Lower Glycemic Index
Than Orange Juice and Many Whole Fruits
(SAN CLEMENTE, Calif., July 27, 2010) — A recent scientific evaluation of Sambazon’s Original™ Açaí Berry Juice
concluded that it is a low glycemic index (GI) beverage, lower than most fruit-based beverages, including orange
juice, and many whole fruits.
The evaluation, conducted by Glycemic Index Laboratories through a study of glycemic levels in 10 human
participants, found that Sambazon Original™ Açaí Berry Juice scored a GI of 24.2 (out of 100), which meets the
criteria for a low GI food. This is almost half that of orange juice, which has a GI of 46 according to the Glycemic
Index database.
Sambazon’s Original™ Açaí Berry Juice is made with more than 120 açaí berries per 10.5 ounces and contains
powerful antioxidants, healthy omega fats, fiber, protein and less sugar than many juices. This unique nutritional
profile helps the body digest nutrients and contributes to the food’s low GI.
“Our clinical trial results show that Sambazon’s Original™ Acai Berry Juice has a low glycemic index,” says
Alexandra Jenkins, Director of Research at Glycemic Index Laboratories. “We recommend that low GI foods be
included in the diet because they minimize fluctuations in glucose and insulin levels. Low GI diets have also
been shown to reduce the risk of some chronic diseases.”
According to experts, low GI foods are digested more slowly and release carbohydrates and energy benefits over
time instead of a rush of energy and subsequent drop in blood sugar levels that can occur with higher glycemic
foods.
A low GI diet has also been shown to help protect against chronic diseases. Research by the Harvard School of
Public Health indicates that the risks of type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease are strongly related to GI
levels. Additionally, the World Health Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization recognize the
glycemic index and cite various studies that suggest low GI foods may help prevent heart disease, diabetes and
obesity.
“Our Original™ Açaí Berry Juice has a low GI because it contains naturally occurring nutrients that work together
to provide sustained energy and health benefits to the body,” says Jeremy Black, co-founder of Sambazon.
“Brazilians have been eating açaí for centuries because of the health benefits it provides and we’re proud to
deliver high quality açaí products to consumers.”
A review of the Glycemic Index database did not reveal any other fruit-based juices that have a lower GI than
Sambazon’s Original™ Açaí Berry Juice. It is about half the GI level of orange juice and even has a lower GI than
many prominent whole fruits, including blueberries, grapes, oranges, apples and bananas.
About Sambazon:
Sambazon is the global leader in açaí. Founded in 2000 as the first company to bring the antioxidant-rich açaí berry from the Amazon to
North America, Sambazon’s mission is to deliver high quality, organic açaí products to the planet. Sambazon’s product line of Organic Açaí
Juice and Smoothies, Frozen Açaí Smoothie Packs and Sorbets and Açaí Supplements are enjoyed by world-class athletes and healthconscious consumers everywhere. Products are available at major retail stores and juice bars across North America including Whole Foods,
Publix, Kroger, HEB, Albertsons and Vitamin Shoppe. Sambazon is also a leader among organic foods and sustainable agriculture. In
November of 2006, Sambazon was named a winner of the Secretary of State’s Award for Corporate Excellence for helping to create
worldwide awareness and demand for the açaí fruit. Sambazon pioneered the first of its kind Fair Trade and Certified Organic supply chain of
açaí which benefits thousands of local families and protects the biodiversity of the Amazon Rainforest through sustainable agriculture.
Sambazon is the largest vertically integrated supplier and marketer of açaí products, controlling every step of the manufacturing process to
ensure sustainable and organic origin of the fruit as well as the highest level quality, nutrition, taste. To learn more about Sambazon Açaí and
creating positive change in the Amazon and beyond please visit us at www.sambazon.com.
###
September 23, 2010
CRuNCH
TIME
fOR
ACAI
How faith –
and marketing –
can save the
miracle berry.
SHOTS
GET
BIGGER
NACS
GUIDE
HfCS AND
THE FDA
KOMBuCHA’S
NEW RULES
A TEST OF
Faith
Acai makers are
saying that the
truth about their
berry will set them
free – from false hype.
By Jeffrey Klineman
42.BEVERAGESPECTRUM.SEPTEMBER.2010
Sambazon founders Ryan and Jeremy Black.
PHOTO COURTESY OF SAMBAXON
Miraculous
foodstuffs can be tricky.
That Virgin Mary who appeared in the
grilled cheese, for example? To some folks,
it’s a sign from the Almighty. To others,
it’s just a waste of a good sandwich. It’s all
in how you look at it.
Still, a miracle – if you believe – is a life
altering event, and it takes more than a few
setbacks to cause you to question your faith.
Such has been the case for acai juice,
the product of the Brazilian “miracle
berry” whose popularity took off like a
rocket but has had a hard time blowing
up to its full potential. In the decade since
brothers Ryan and Jeremy Black and their
good friend Ed Nichols started Sambazon
and began bringing the berry back to
America in frozen packets, the little rainforest fruits have been held to the highest
of expectations, but also derided as the
lowest of scams. They’ve seen a nearsingle ingredient juice fall into a confusing
mix of products and claims. The signal
event, it appears, got lost in the background noise. But they still believe.
“There’s been a lot of overpromising
and under-delivering,” says Jeremy Black.
“And the products that have created a lot
of the awareness have been the ones that
haven’t delivered. That’s unfortunate, but
we know that the products we’re making
deliver on the promises they make.”
From a public relations angle, the
promise of acai has been a blessing and a
curse: ever since Nick Perricone popped
the PR cork on Oprah, labeling acai the
vanguard of lifesaving “superfruits,” rumors of the berry’s powers caused its use
to turn into something like a tent revival.
Claims that drinking multi-level-marketed
MonaVie juices could heal everything
from back pain to asthma fed into a barrage of seedy internet-promoted “studies” about how acai extract could help
consumers drop weight and look better.
And in the monkey-see, monkey-do
world of the beverage industry, a little bit of
promise leads to a whole lot of bandwagons. As soon as actual acai juice companies
like Sambazon, Zola, and Bossa Nova
started to gain some traction, acai flavors,
or small, completely ineffective squirts of
44.BEVERAGESPECTRUM.SEPTEMBER.2010
the juice began to enter beverages ranging
from energy drinks (Budweiser 180) to
enhanced waters (vitaminwater XXX) to
schnapps and vodka. Meanwhile, acai extracts made their way into everything from
pills and powders to salves and soaps.
“Consumers look at it, and they say,
what the heck is acai?” says Alton Johnson,
the founder of Bossa Nova, which is now
owned by the parent company of Sunny
Delight. “They’ve heard of it, but they
wonder, is it schnapps, toothpaste, MonaVie? Will it make me skinny? Even when it’s
a juice, it’s the juice of a fruit that they’ve
never seen in the produce department.”
The confused message has made for a
tough road. Of the three companies best
known for introducing acai to the American public, only Sambazon has shown
consistent growth in stores and been able
to hold off conflict with its investors – and
it is still only available in about 33 percent
of possible grocery accounts. Meanwhile,
early high-fliers Zola and Bossa Nova
have hit deep ruts in the road, with Bossa
Nova and Coke-owned Odwalla fumbling
an early distribution partnership, and
Zola’s slow sales leading to consistent
rumblings that its chief financial backer,
Emigrant Capital, was looking to cut its
losses and unload the company.
And as the companies have faced
their own growth obstacles, they’ve also
watched their key ingredient’s profile
drop as other exotic-cum-trendy products, particularly coconut water, began to
grab the public’s attention.
“Coconut water didn’t get as fragmented as acai,” says Chris Cuvelier, the CEO
of Zola. “It was all about one message
– hydration – while the acai message was
much more fragmented.”
But again, faith is a powerful thing,
particularly if you can recruit the right
kind of converts. And in recent months
the three key companies – albeit in a way
that is independent of each other, as the
competition level remains high and all
three are still quick to point out the superiority of their own product over the other
two – have started to try for a revival of
their own, preaching a message of purity
and healing. Not spiritual, of course,
although that’s one element, but physical:
the straight-ahead message that the acai
berry has uniquely potent antioxidants,
and in the case of Sambazon, a high level
of the omega family of fatty acids that are
nutritionally beneficial.
Bossa Nova, Zola and Sambazon have
all turned on the marketing spigot, trying
to deliver the message – call it evangelize
if you need to continue the metaphor – to
the public. Drink the stuff, eat it, discover
the power of the purple berry. Sambazon
and Bossa Nova have even reached out
Sambazon, Bozza
Nova and Zola,
three actual
acai juices, have
watched their key
ingredient’s drop,
but are now ready
to start a revival
of their own: a
straight-ahead
message that the
acai berry has
uniquely potent
antioxidants.
into the CPG world to bring in marketing
experts, and the first acai television advertisements are airing in select cities.
From Sambazon, a high-concept multimedia marketing campaign focuses on
social entrepreneurs whose own missions
are likely to resonate with the environmentally conscious, healthy-living “tribe”
of Sambazon acolytes who, if they have
not adopted the Black brothers as their
patron saints, certainly take the berry
itself as their daily bread. With media
airing in San Diego and a hard push in
Sambazon’s other California strongholds,
the company is sticking to the attractive
idea that consumers are doing well for
their bodies and for the planet by drinking the product. To really drive home its
message that if the product is superior, the
effects will be palpable, Sambazon is also
opening a café in Southern California.
“We want to give people a chance to
see what the experience is all about,”
says Jeremy Black. “We feel we need to
start making some noise about it. The
truth needs to be told.”
That means that the health message will
be rolled out along with the environmental and social message. Sambazon formed
a scientific advisory board last year, while
many of the claims about ersatz acai products were taking on water. Now, it is close
to releasing reports on a clinical trial that
the company’s leaders hope will establish
the berry’s credibility in the same way that
Pom Wonderful used scientific studies.
“I just know our product resonate with
people who have discovered that the real
thing works,” Black says. “That’s why we
have a team of hundreds of athletes who
come to us and say I love this stuff. We
have some prestigious press coming and
that’s from people who do their homework. We had it before, and I think we’re
about to get a refresh of that stuff.”
For Sambazon, the keys are expanded
distribution in supermarkets and a stronger
DSD presence overall. With only fractional
penetration in mainstream grocery, Jeremy
Black says, “we still have to prove we can
hold our shelf space.” Nevertheless, when
Sambazon is in stores, it sells, Black says,
adding, “we’re still growing, absolutely.”
At Bossa Nova, a marketing budget
and slick supply chain supplied by its
new owners are what Johnson, now the
VP of Natural Healthy Beverages for
Beverage Holdings, believes will finally
afford the company the scale to bring the
product to the masses.
“We always had grand plans but we
never had the resources to execute a grand
vision,” Johnson says. With a factory in
New Jersey that has created a verticallystreamlined route to manufacturing Bossa
Nova’s signature clarified acai juice, and
Sunny D’s marketing budget behind it,
“we’ve got the ability to create a better
product story and create vehicles of communication to the product.”
And that is coming out via a marketing
campaign created by new brand manager
Adobe Springs Water Company
Adobe Springs is the largest supplier of bulk mineral water to the bottling industry in the
United States, with a TDS of 435 mg per liter. Adobe Springs’ healthful magnesium content
of 110 mg per liter is more than the combined magnesium content of the top-20-sales
bottled waters in the US. Adobe Springs tastes great, and has been marketed as
“Noah’s Spring Water” since 1992.
The Adobe Springs are conveniently located 19 miles off I-5 in Central California.
New clients welcomed, as we have plenty of water.
Call Paul Mason, Owner
Tel: (408) 897-3023
Email: paulmason@MgWater.com
Adobe Springs Water Co. LLC
19000 Del Puerto Canyon Road
Patterson, CA 95363
SEPTEMBER.2010.BEVERAGESPECTRUM.45
adobesprings_spectrum_half.indd 1
3/8/10 8:37 AM
Jeremy Peters, a veteran of accounts like
Axe and Dove beauty products and Brita
water filters. Part of the campaign, however, lies in simply making acai available in
more stores. And that’s where the Sunny D
ownership comes in: while acai has always
had exclusivity, in grocery, the Sunny
D brand has ubiquity. In the months to
come, Bossa Nova will flow into stores
across the country. Marketing and sampling is headed for 13 specific demographic markets that comprise about half of the
consumers of high-end juice drinks.
“We’re already doing events across the
country that fit the eco-chic targets, if
you will,” Peters said. “We’re set up to
go mainstream.”
Meanwhile, at Zola, the smallest of the
three companies, the presence of cash and
positive momentum is enough of a sign that
things are turning around in the acai market
for CEO Cuvelier to start dreaming big.
“For us, pushing into DSD and getting
some air support has been key to us. It’s
been exciting,” he said. “We’ve always been
46.BEVERAGESPECTRUM.SEPTEMBER.2010
a smaller company, and we have recent
funding that has put us in a position where
we can expand our distribution and try to
get the product into people’s mouths.”
With expanded distribution – the company recently entered Denver powerhouse
New Age Beverage, for example – Zola
hopes to maintain its momentum, but
Cuvelier acknowledges that a bit more
bad news about acai could sink the category. That’s why, while he points to the
healthy properties of the berry, he’s trying
to manage expectations a bit.
“We’re pretty realistic,” he says. “We’re
not saying this stuff cures cancer or fights
aging. We’re saying, look, it’s better than
drinking an orange juice, and here’s why.
People understand when a true product
has something behind it and when a product has some quality.”
That might be true, but for acai, the bar
seems to have been set higher than just
“better than O.J.” They might not have
asked for miracle berry status, but the
three companies who are pushing hardest
to take acai to the masses have looked to
some of the reversals the berry has faced
as something of a test of faith. With the
negative PR about the scams calming
down, and some real marketing campaigns taking the place of baseless hyperbole, they believe that the air is clearing.
After all, they do believe that they’ve got
a miracle berry – they just need to make
it clear, specifically, which miracle it will
be – and it’s more likely to be one along
the lines of, say, finding water in the desert
than walking on water. If it’s something legitimate – and Sambazon, at least, believes
it has the science to prove it – chances are
that a lot more people will believe.
“The bubble sort of burst a bit on some
of the hype, but that’s not a bad thing,”
says Ryan Black, Sambazon’s CEO. “Despite some of the weird stuff that’s gone
on, everyone out there marketing acai
knows inherently that it’s still just getting
started. Not everyone gets it yet, but the
people who do really get it, they make it
part of their lives.” •